Living in the Shadow
by lilangelita
Summary: Akane's overlooked while Kasumi gets all the attention from everybody by her perfectness. But just when all seems awful and lonely, someone manages to see the real her and like it!
1. Lonely

A. N.: Yo, wassup my peoples??? Man, I sound lame writing (or even saying) that. Lol, J/K, anyways, this is a new story from the one and the only, yours truly, moi!!! Yay, aren't you excited?! I know I am, I'm starting school in awhile and I can't wait to go back and see all those people I missed so much and couldn't do without (yeah right!)!! Yeah, well, I'm just trying to do a lot of stuff before I have to go back and have all these privileges taken away from me by school! Anyways, like always: 1 4 3 Frankie, even though you're a big jerk to me most of the time and Lil'Rob rocks! Oh yeah, I almost forgot, but I'd like to thank Ashlee Simpson since I was listening to her song "Shadow" while I was writing this ficcie, it's a good song! I hope you enjoy my story!!!! :P  
  
Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Ranma ½, so don't sue me! I also don't own "Shadow" from my new fave singer Ashlee Simpson, don't sue! Thankies! :)  
  
Living in the Shadow Chapter 1: Lonely

Akane looked up at the sky, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, well at least that's what she thought at the moment.

"Akane-chan, are you coming along?" A soft voice from afar called out to her and made her turn around; it was her eldest sister, Kasumi, surrounded by a large mob of guys.

Akane frowned but nodded nonetheless. "Yes Kasumi, I'll be there in a moment." She whispered softly so only her sister could hear. "Just go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Kasumi smiled warmly and waved a hand at her little sister as she entered a record store with the hoard of guys right behind her, following her every move as if she was an angel sent from above.

Akane sighed and found a bench beside the entrance of the store to sit on for awhile, she wasn't tired or bored, she was just lonely. She looked back up at the sky and smiled despite what she was feeling at the moment; her mother had always told her it was better to look at the beautiful things on the Earth than to concentrate on the problems at hand. It was never good for the soul to think and depress over something in the past; her mother had always told her when she was a very hurt little girl.

"Akane, what're you doing here all alone?!"

"Oh Kami-sama, don't tell me you ran away!"

Akane blinked and turned to stare at her two best friends, Yuka and Sayuri, she hadn't expected to run into them at a time like this. It's just my luck that I would though, Akane thought absently as her friends approached her worriedly.

Yuka grabbed Akane's hands motherly which made her look into her eyes curiously. "Is it Kasumi-san, Akane?" Yuka asked with a very worried and concerned face. "Do you feel rejected again . . . like last time?"

Akane shot right up on the bench as her eyes widened shockingly. "W-What're you talking about Yuka?" She asked feigning ignorance with a forced smile. "I never felt rejected! I'm happy Kasumi oneechan gets all the attention she receives, it's good for her. I can tell she really enjoys it."

Sayuri sighed and rolled her eyes lamely. "ACHOO!" She all of a sudden sneezed. "I'm sorry Akane. It's just that I'm allergic to BULLSHIT!"

There was a short pause as Akane and Yuka stared blankly at Sayuri before finally bursting out in a short giggle.

Akane smiled slightly at her giggling friends. "I'll tell you what," She began to get their attention. "If you guys come with me I'll tell you the whole thing, huh?"

Yuka and Sayuri both stopped giggling at the same time as they looked at Akane disappointedly.

Sayuri was the first to open her mouth as she reached for Akane's hair. "I'm sorry Akane-chan. We were just about to go home right now." She said softly. "Yuka's mom is waiting for us at that toy store over there with her little brother and sister, we gotta go and meet up with them. Do you think we could talk about this tomorrow? It's Sunday and we've both got nothing to do."

"That's okay. I guess I'll see you guys later." Akane said with a small smile as she stood up and patted off the imaginary dirt on her long light blue coat, although the sky was beautiful it was awfully cold out since it was winter. "Kasumi's inside waiting for me, so I gotta go too, bye!"

Yuka smiled and dragged Sayuri along with her as they began to walk away, towards the toy store. "Bye-Bye Akane-chan, see you later!"

Akane nodded and smiled once again forcefully after them, having them as friends since childhood sure was a lot of work, but she knew in the end they truly cared for her, it was just that she didn't really care much about anything anymore.

"Oh Akane, I thought you went back home!" Kasumi exclaimed with a surprised look on her face as she walked slowly towards her little sister. "Come on, let's go inside where it's warm and I'll introduce you to some new friends of mine!"

Kasumi smiled brightly as she dragged Akane from behind her and into the record store, it was warm but it also felt very cold at the same time.

"Whoa, look at her, now that's a woman for sure!"

"Hmm, nice ass, pretty face, great hair, sexy style, I could ask her out."

"Like she'd say yes to you! A girl like that has got to have a boyfriend already!"

"She's so fine!"

Akane blushed and looked the other way as all the guys began to stare at her eldest sister in awe, she couldn't blame them, Kasumi was perfect.

"CHIAO!" (I dunno if guys do this just where I live, but they have this habit of yelling out something like that to good-looking girls as they pass by. Don't ask me why, I dunno myself.)

Kasumi giggled girly and faked a blush as she neared a totally different hoard of guys than before, her eyes beginning to wander around to find a new, more interesting pack. "Hey, Koichi-san, I'd like you to meet my little sister, Akane-chan." Kasumi whispered shyly at what seemed to be the cutest out of the bunch in Akane's opinion. "I love her to death, and she's so cute, don't you think so you guys?"

Koichi and the rest nodded at the same time as if they were being hypnotized by her beauty and couldn't talk at all, only gaze at her as she talked and talked. Akane soon got bored as Kasumi continued to talk and further hypnotize the guys with just her voice, well at least it seemed like it to her.

"Um, Kasumi, I think I'll just go look at what's new in store. Is that okay?" Kasumi looked over her shoulder at Akane and blinked. "Sure, just make sure to meet me outside in like . . . half an hour. Okay Akane-chan?"

Akane forced an imitation smile of Kasumi's. "Okay, see you later Kasumi oneechan!"

Kasumi hadn't spared another look as she resumed to talk the guys up once again, her charm making them much more enticed with her voice and looks.

Akane wandered around for awhile until she found something moderately interesting. "Hmm, this looks good." She whispered to herself as she picked up the CD and looked at it.

"It is good," Said a voice from beside her, making her turn around slowly only to see a boy she recognized from her high school. "That's probably the only CD I like from the band, I think you should listen to it."

Akane blinked and nodded her head slowly, why was he talking to her when he could very well be with the mob of guys around her sister instead? She smiled nonetheless though. "Thanks for telling me, I'm Akane Tendo."

The boy had a puzzled look on his face as he stared at her. "You . . . Are you related to Kasumi Tendo?" He asked with a smile on his face that made Akane's heart skip a beat.

"Um, yeah, she's my sister." Akane whispered with a frown, he was probably one of those boys that only wanted to get with to be close to her sister. "She's right over there if you-"

"I know. She's really nice to talk to." He said and then stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome, nice to meet you. I think you're in one of my classes aren't you?"

Akane blinked and then smiled warmly at him. "Yeah, I think so."  
  
-End of Chapter 1: Lonely  
  
A. N.: Phew, that took forever! Anyways, that's all for now, laters!! Please RR ! Thankies, and Buh-Bye for now! :P


	2. Something out of nothing

A. N.: Hey, here goes another one!! Yay! I hope you all like it a lot. Anyways, here goes the usual: 1 4 3 Frankie and Lil'Rob rocks!!!!! Oh also, this one is dedicated to Nancy and Jose, sorry Nancy this wasn't a poem or anything like I promised, but I suck at them at the moment so I decided, "Why not just dedicate this new chapter for the one and only, but never lonely?" HAHA! This one goes out to you, hoe! "It ain't no fun if the homies can't have none!!!!" Anyways, sorry for the late update and stuff, I had and still have a lot of problems dealing with school since I'm now in 10th grade and I'm doing so bad with it, wish me luck anyways though (I know I am)!! Alright, here it goes, hope ya'll like it!!!!!! :P

Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Ranma ½ or that song from Snoop Dogg (can't remember the name of it, but it rocks!), please don't sue me and all that junk 'cause I don't have any money!! -

SakuraAyanami-Thankies for reviewing, and yep, I can't wait to write about Nabiki in this chapter!! She'll be so cool!!! Enjoy! :)

Avolare-Oh thanks; it's nice to know that my fic is cute!!! And yep, it's AU!! Here's another "cute" chapter (hopefully)!

Living in the Shadow

Chapter 2: Something out of nothing

Akane smiled brightly as she neared the exit of the record store, her eyes lit with the absent gaze of someone in a daze and her face glowing with utter happiness and delight.

I've never felt like this before, she thought slowly while she heard the rapid beating of her heart in her ears, but I think I like it.

Once outside in the blistering cold her eyes snapped back to reality and the fact that she was looking for her sister came to mind with some reluctance. She muttered something under her breath and frowned deeply as she looked around the entrance of the record store slowly and without any luck.

"Where could she be . . . ?" She whispered angrily to herself, sadly noticing how her moment of bliss had been so quickly taken away by none other than her oldest sister. "Ugh, damn Kasumi."

"Akane, Akane, over here Akane!" Yelled an all too familiar voice from the parking lot as she slowly turned around to see who it was. "Akane, hurry up!! I'm not walking over there for your punk ass, it's too cold!!!"

Of course, thought Akane angrily as she made her way towards the sports car that her other sister was now occupying; Kasumi forgot to wait for me again and left with those guys instead. She opened the door for the passengers' seat only to find it filled with bags from shopping.

Akane looked up and saw the angry face of her sister, Nabiki, staring daggers at her. "You caught me in the middle of shopping, Akane." She whispered and then sighed tiredly. ". . . Thanks, those little annoying girls I had to take care of for work were bugging the shit out of me. Com'on, hop in the back and let's go home, its cold."

"Okay."

Akane closed the door and opened the other one instead, flopping onto the back seat disappointedly as her sister backed up madly and swerved her way out of the parking lot, the other cars around her beeping angrily at her as she passed by.

Nabiki beeped back at them as she speed up and then stopped abruptly at a red light, making Akane fall from her fetal position on the back seat and onto the floor, a loud shriek coming out of her as she fell roughly on the car floor.

"Didn't I always tell you not to lie down in my car, Akane?" Nabiki asked absently while she turned slightly to look down at her little sister with a curious face. "Oh well, you look OK to me. Sit up and buckle your seatbelt before some cop comes along."

Akane managed a muffled, "Sure." as she sat up slowly and fixed herself in the seat with the belt in place.

The red light continued to stay red for sometime before some obvious drunk yelled something out incoherently and the light turned green. Nabiki blinked and moved along with everyone else less recklessly. "Akane, are you alright with Kasumi being like she is?"

There was a long silence as Akane looked out her window with wide eyes, where had this come from all of a sudden? Did she have the words, "I have a problem with Kasumi." written on her forehead or something?

"I know I do, even if she is my sister." Nabiki whispered, speeding up once again from the obvious anger inside of her. "I love her to death, but sometimes . . . ugh, sometimes she can really get on my nerves, you know?"

Akane sighed when she began to understand the reason why Nabiki had brought Kasumi up, Kasumi had obviously done something wrong again in her books. It might have been the smallest of things or the biggest, but it didn't matter to Nabiki, anything done wrong was always something bad and called for punishment. Except Nabiki can't punish her, Akane thought once again as she stared curiously at her sister's very concentrated face, even if it hurt us all.

"What'd she do now, Nabiki?" Akane asked softly while Nabiki entered the freeway to get home faster. "Did she mock you again like last time in front of all your work friends?"

Oops, Akane thought immediately cringing back from Nabiki's sudden wrath with the steering wheel and the road ahead of her, I guess it wasn't that.

Nabiki narrowed her eyebrows together, exiting the freeway and heading in the street home. "That reminds me, she did something like that with those girls I was supposed to look after for work today!" She seethed and speed up even faster, cars passing by looking at her as if she was suicidal and homicidal with Akane in the back holding onto her belt for dear life. "She dared to call me 'imouto-chan' in front of them when she ran into me, and then talked to me like I was some sort of child! Doesn't she know she's more of the child in the family than anyone else?! Argh, how I want to destroy her life with those brainless guys of hers!! I don't work for her, she works for me, she should at least show some respect! But nooooooo, she's too good for that, she's too good for anything!!!"

"Nabiki, you know you can't do anything to her!" Akane yelled as they entered their driveway in a screeching halt, Nabiki shaking from the sudden anger as her body tried to relax itself. "Mother would never forgive you, neither would father . . . They put her in charge for some reason in case of their deaths, and we have to follow."

"It's not fair, I'm the one who runs things around here, not her."

Akane was about to say something when Kasumi came out of nowhere with a very worried face.

"Oh my, Akane, I was so worried about you!"

Nabiki and Akane both frowned deeply while Kasumi continued with her hysterics, her hands flying to Akane's hands and face.

Kasumi smiled brightly as she let go of her littlest sister and stared seriously at Nabiki. "Nabiki-chan, can we talk in private when your done with work?"

Nabiki blinked-blinked getting out of the car and grabbing her bags with Akane's help as she also got out of the car. "What do you mean?" She asked sternly, slowly walking towards Kasumi. "Don't you remember what happened? You came along and told me to pick up Akane so I had to leave my boss's daughter's to shop by themselves, I can't go back now."

"Oh, well I'm sorry Nabiki-chan, I'm sure your boss won't be too mad."

"I hope not, since that was just an errand he sent me on and not really work, but if he is that mean no money Kasumi. Which also means that you'll have to get a job while I look for another one!"

Kasumi smiled slightly with the wave of her hand as they entered the house. "Oh no, I'm sure Akane can get one while you look for another. Can't you, Akane-chan?"

That finally set Nabiki off as they neared the kitchen and began to argue loudly about everything and anything. Akane just stood near the entrance of the house with an absent gaze in her eyes while she held two bags in her arms. They always fought like that without any of her feelings in the argument even though they would bring her up from time to time.

She sighed and placed the bags on the floor, running up the stairs to her room silently. "They don't even care about what I want . . ." She whispered softly, throwing herself onto her bed and clutching onto a pillow for dear life. "Or how I feel . . . Not even Nabiki, I bet she wouldn't listen to me even if I was dying."

Akane turned on her bed and opened her eyes slowly to stare longingly at the ceiling. She had tried to connect with her sisters' before, but nothing ever worked since they'd never give her the time of day. All she really wanted was to be recognized by them and accepted, maybe even come forward from their shadows and show people what they weren't paying attention to. She had tried to make something out of their relationship.

"How is it that they could ignore me like that?" Akane asked to herself under her breath, their angry voices slowly drifting up into her room. "When Ranma actually gave me the time of day . . . He even said I had a cute smile and laugh . . ."

-**Flashback** -

Akane smiled and then began to laugh as Ranma continued to make jokes about how stupid and ignorant their math teacher really was.

He smiled brightly as he saw her laugh. "You know, you should really smile and laugh more Akane." He began, getting closer to her which of course made her stop laughing and instead blushed. "At school, you seem so sad and don't smile or laugh when you really should."

"Why should I?" Akane asked, slowly beginning to get mad, but she was still blushing.

"Because your really cute when you do, silly!"

Akane blinked-blinked and then blushed even more if that was possible, making Ranma laugh lightly to which she later joined in.

-**End of Flashback** -

A small smile crept up her lips as she remembered the precious moment she knew she would never forget.

She closed her eyes and tried to conjure up his image when all of a sudden she heard a loud shriek from downstairs.

"On no!"

A. N.: END!! How'd you all like it?? Was it good or bad??? Hopefully good 'cause I worked real hard on this one! Since I'm starting school next week it's going to be hard continuing this, but I will!! Just wanted ya'll to know that. Wish me luck this school year, I'm really going to need it (seriously). Anyways, please review, I'd really appreciate it, and thank you!!!!! Adios mi gente!! :P "Meet me on the Southside girl, 'cause all I wanna do is ride to the side with you . . . and everything will be cool . . . ain't nothing but a thing, chicken wings on strings!!"


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